Alex's 6th Birthday Party

Last Saturday, we finally had Alex's birthday party with his friends.  The first part of February was really busy with a couple of Chinese New Year parties, followed by a holiday weekend, but it worked out great to have it last weekend, because the weather was absolutely gorgeous, with temperatures around 70 degrees.  It made for a great day to have a party outside.  Since he is still quite the Lego fan, we had another Lego themed party.  Going to The Lego Movie at the drive-in the weekend before added to the excitement of having a Lego party.  The bonus was that we re-used some of the items from last year's Lego party and since it was an entirely different group of kids, they all had a great time.

There was Lego car building, racing on the ramp, a bean bag toss into a giant Lego, some tag, painting Lego themed shirts and of course, everyone enjoyed cake.  It was a great day for a party and Alex had alot of fun with his seven friends, and of course, the little sister.

Fun Afternoon

The kiddos and I had fun in the backyard this afternoon.  They played in the playhouse, rode bikes and were working on "harvesting" a variety of fruits and vegetables during some pretend playtime.  Now that it has rained a bit, the plants are happy and coming back and we planted some veggies in the garden too.

Chinese New Year Party #1

We didn't get alot of photos of last week's Chinese New Year party.  Rena, Jim and Kai and Richard came over to join us for hot pot, pork belly buns, pineapple tarts and yummy cupcakes from Sprinkles.

Singin' in the Rain!

It is finally raining and for the past two days, Alex and Julia have been taking full advantage, by going out and splashing in the puddles which are accumulating.

Chinese New Year Party #2 + Alex's Birthday

 Crazy kiddos in their Chinese outfits

 The girls dancing

 Run, jump!

 Hot pot!

 What shall we have from the hot pot?

 The kids table

 Alex's cake

 Family pic

Birthday boy with his cake.

Last night the Bertains and the Chias came over for a hot pot party to celebrate Chinese New Year.  We had all kinds of goodies for the hot pot and everyone brought some yummy Chinese treats to help celebrate. The kids had a fun time playing, as always and we finished off the night with a birthday cake for Alex.  Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Alex's 6th Birthday: The Day Of

 Birthday boy when he woke up in the morning.

 Checking out his new Lego Star Wars shirt.

 Jules helping to make birthday pancakes for Bro Bro.

 Ready to walk to school.

Daddy stayed home that day too!

 6 years old!

Birthday dinner at Zachary's Pizza.

Birthday night dessert of mango mochi.

Daddy reading "Giraffes Can't Dance" to Alex's class

It is hard to believe, but Alex turned six on Thursday!  He had a fun day, starting with chocolate chip pancakes and a present in the morning, followed by Daddy reading one of Alex's favorite books to his friends at school that morning.  Instead of bringing treats, Mrs. Rodriguez prefers to have a parent come in to read to the class.  Since Daddy doesn't get to be in the classroom much, he went in to read and also served as one of the volunteers in the classroom that day, helping with the painting center.  That afternoon, we went to Zachary's for pizza and then came home and had some mango mochi for birthday dessert.  Alex enjoyed his new Lego Star Wars t-shirt which we made for him and just had a fun day all around!

Ode to the White Whale

Today we say goodbye to the beloved "White Whale".  It seems strange to be so sentimental about a car, but there are lots of memories associated with it.  If it were a human, it would be old enough to vote and would be going to college in the Fall, so it has been around awhile.  Thank you, White Whale for taking us on so many fun road trips across California and beyond.  You were the car which brought Xena home in a file box in the back seat and you took Alex on his first car ride, screaming all the way home from the hospital!  You suffered through lots of abuse over the years, especially on the streets of Oakland, but you persevered.  You were always the most reliable car, many times coming through for us when the newer, fancier cars did not.  Even today as we donate you, after not using you for more than three months, you started without hesitation.  We will miss you, but we will think of you every time we watch our favorite KQED programming.  Your legacy will live on.  Bon voyage!